Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

Chemotherapy is normally offered to patients with stage two or three bowel cancer who have had surgery as a precaution against the cancer returning. If you have stage four bowel cancer, which means the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body, you may be given chemotherapy before or after surgery or in combination with other treatments such as immunotherapy. This is called palliative chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may also be given prior to radiotherapy or surgery to shrink a tumour or to make cancer cells more sensitive to radiotherapy.

There are different chemotherapy drugs available. The type and combination of drug you receive will depend on the type of cancer you have, how advanced it is and whether you’ve previously had chemotherapy. You will be carefully monitored during treatment to check how you are responding to the drugs.

What to expect

Chemotherapy treatment is personalised to each individual. The drugs you are given and the duration of your treatment will depend on the type of cancer you have and how far advanced it is. Chemotherapy is delivered in an outpatient setting and you will normally be able to go home the same day. The drugs are delivered intravenously via injection, or a drip directly into the vein via a catheter or cannula. It can also be given in tablet form. Treatment cycles typically last three to six months and our team will do everything possible to make you comfortable during your treatment. Chemotherapy treatment may be used alone or alongside other treatments such as radiotherapy or surgery.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is another form of systemic anti-cancer therapy. Immunotherapy drugs are given to support the body’s immune system to fight the cancer cells. They help to shrink cancer cells or slow their growth but, unfortunately, they cannot cure the cancer. Not everyone is offered immunotherapy as it depends on factors such as the stage of your bowel cancer, what treatments you’ve already had and any genetic changes in the cancer cells. If your oncologist believes you may benefit from immunotherapy, they may need to test the cancer cells to ascertain what type of drugs will be most effective. For example, monoclonal antibodies prevent proteins from binding to cancer cells or block proteins from triggering the cells to divide and grow, while anti-angiogenesis drugs stop the growth of new blood vessels by the cancer cells.

If you are diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer you may be given the immunotherapy drugs Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab or Ipilimumab. Immunotherapy drugs can cause a range of side-effects, some of which can be serious, so your oncologist will weigh up the potential benefits against any possible detrimental impacts.

As specialists in the treatment of bowel cancer, The Bowel Cancer Clinic is up to date with the very latest advances in immunotherapy and have access to drugs that are not currently available on the NHS. We will support you at every stage of your cancer treatment and are happy to answer any questions you may have. We will work alongside you to minimise the impact of any side-effects that you experience.